Last week I blogged a list of MOOCs that GLAM folk might find useful. This week I thought I’d share an online course called ‘Gaming in Libraries’ delivered through Library Juice Academy during March that I am very excited to take.

Gamification and gaming in libraries is a huge area of interest for me. Last semester I wrote a short blog post framing my position on gaming in libraries for my Information Programs unit. Even just a couple of months on – I’ve learned so much more about gaming in libraries and the applications of games in libraries. This is probably one of my favourite things about studying information sciences and librarianship, I am constantly learning about really interesting things!

I received an email at work about Library Juice Academy and the courses they offer last week. I quickly scanned the offerings and thought that a lot of the courses seemed very interesting but my interest was piqued when my eyes fell on the ‘Gaming in Libraries‘ course run by Lauren Hays and Teresa Slobuski. I wasted no time signing up and paying for the course – despite the horrendous USD to AUD exchange rate.

The course will explore how games can be added to library programming both for fun and to support learning. The application of gaming in libraries to support learning is something that really interests me, so I am very excited to learn a bit more about it during the course. The course has three main learning outcomes for learners:

Identify ways that gaming can be incorporated into different library settings

Consider if gaming is an appropriate addition to library programming through evaluating the needs of the community, and

Create a gaming proposal for a library using tools provided during the course

The course runs asynchronously so it should be flexible enough so that I can complete it around heading back to university classes around the same time. I think that asynchronous courses can be a really great way to learn when they’re supported by an active learning community, so hopefully that will be the case here.

I am excited for March to roll around so I can get underway, I will write a blog about how I found it once I’ve finished.

If you know of any other great courses on gaming or gamification in libraries, please let me know!

Note: I think this seems a bit obvious and silly to say, (because who would pay me to write a blog post about anything!) but this post is in no way sponsored or paid for by Library Juice Academy. I am just very excited about the course and thought I’d share it!